How do I remove the upper receiver from the lower receiver on a Colt AR-15A2 Sporter 2?  There does not seem to be a depressable pivot pin as in the instructions in the Army M16A2 manual I downloaded from the internet.  Instead the what the front pivots on has flat head screw slots. Do I somehow unscrew these to remove the upper receiver?

Colts way of making it Politically Correct.

How hard is it to put a takedown pin in the front instead of the screw? Or is this not allowed on postbans?

oh, so it is not as easy as putting a takedown pin in the hole?

I have this stupid pivot pin on my Colts as well.

I have heard various ways to attempt to convert this into a push-pin, but nobody knows for sure. I have gotten several different replies on AR15.com... so I am clueless on what to do.

Anyone know for sure what EXACTLY I need to purchase? (PS: I think I have small pins, except for the DIAS Block and hammer)

Looky what I found on [url]www.sawsales.com[/url]

Part #: SA08003
Description: PIVOT PIN (.312), PUSH PIN, REMOVABLE, REPLACEMENT FOR SCREW TYPE
Price: 24.00

I wonder if the .312 is the size of my front pins...


I guess it depends on the model I have... DAMN!

SA08003 11 PIVOT PIN (.312), PUSH PIN, REMOVABLE, REPLACEMENT FOR SCREW TYPE 24.00

SP66818 11 RECEIVER PIVOT PIN (MATCH TARGET & L/E SEMI MODELS) 10.00

SA08001 11 RECEIVER PIVOT PIN ASSY (MATCH TARGET & L/E SEMI MODELS) 18.00

SP63021 11 RECEIVER PIVOT PIN SCREW, AR-15 (.312)  10.00

SP63022 11 RECEIVER PIVOT PIN, AR-15 ( .312) SCREW TYPE 15.00

SA08002 11 RECEIVER PIVOT PIN, AR-15 (.312) ASSY 20.00

SP62221 11 RECEIVER PIVOT PIN, M16 FRONT PUSH PIN (.250) 15.00

SP66819 11A RECEIVER PIVOT PIN SCREW (MATCH TARGET & L/E SEMI MODELS) 10.00

I think I have the small pin, but is there an easy way to tell without measuring it? (i.e. if the rear push-pin hole looks the same size as the front, then its the .250...?)

I know-- Bushmaster has this one for $9.95, but they don't say the size, just state its for Colt Sporters only!

There were a couple versions of Sporters, so I am not sure if my Sporter will work with this, and I doubt my Match Target will work with it...


As for DPMS, here's what I found:

[b]A-15 Quick-Take Down Pin - .312 dia.[/b]
Special designed front receiver pin with ball detent, allows fast disassembly and assembly. Made from Steel. Replaces screw pin on Hartford horsey logo Lower receivers for easy take-down.

For every Hartford Horsey Logo Sporter and SP1/SP2.

ID #: LR-QT
Price: $6.00 Each  



[b]A-15 Quick-Take Down Pin - .250 dia.[/b]
Special designed front receiver pin with ball detent, allows fast disassembly and assembly. Made from Steel. Replaces screw pin on Hartford horsey logo Lower receivers for easy take-down.

.250” dia. for Hartford Horsey Logo Sporter and Match target.

ID #: LR-QT-S
Price: $7.00 Each  

Some time ago, another member purchased a pivot pin with integral detent to replace the screw on his Colt.  He complained that the pin was a little too long and tended to slide back and forth in the hole.  

I have no personal experience with this.  Admittedly, it doesn’t sound like a big problem.

If you have a slab side (no magazine fence), this is your only option for replacing the screw.  To the best of my knowledge, all pre-ban “AR-15” marked rifles are slab sides.

If you have a magazine fence, it is possible for a good machinist to drill a lengthwise hole in the fence for the traditional pivot pin spring and detent.  This should allow you to use the tradition front pivot pin [b]if[/b] you have a small pivot pin hole.  

This should give you an identical set-up to an M-16 (other than pre-A1 versions), and to most, if not all, non-Colt AR copies.  

However, if you have a large pivot pin hole, you would need a large pivot pin.  I don’t know if such an animal is available.  (Note that I am NOT referring to a large pivot pin with integral detent, but rather a large pivot pin that will properly mate up with an external detent!)

Since Colt tends to use whatever parts they’ve got lying around when they make AR’s, it’s not totally inconceivable that your magazine fence (if you’ve got one) might already have the spring and detent hole already drilled in it - very doubtful, though.

Frankly, unless somebody really knows what they are doing, augering on a pre-ban lower is a very bad idea.    

199.....,

"If you have a slab side (no magazine fence), this is your only option for replacing the screw. To the best of my knowledge, all pre-ban “AR-15” marked rifles are slab sides."
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sorry friend..., but you need more knowledge !! i have several Colt AR-15 pre-bans & they have fences........

Thanks, everyone, for the info.  Hopefully, one of spring indent pins will work, otherwise I will live with the screws.  

Incidentally, the weapon is preban.  

I found out something about the take-down pin holes being drilled on lower receivers. Apparently, when they run out of semi-auto receivers, they grab some of the M16 full-auto receivers from another production line... that explains why some pre and post bans have the holes already drilled...